Set Your Goals and Reverse Engineer Your Path to Success

Dear Family,

Reverse engineering is a strategy that involves starting with the end goal in mind and working backward to determine the steps necessary to achieve that goal.?

I've embraced this concept to systematically approach my goals and objectives throughout life. When pursuing excellence, a way of being, I always appreciate an objective method to analyze, benchmark, authenticate, and, most importantly, increase my probability of success. By reverse engineering, I can remove emotions from the equation and concentrate solely on the?specific?actions required for success. Achieving success is?about?more than finding a silver bullet; it is about consistent effort across many fronts.

Finding the most optimal way to achieve an objective/goal is crucial. Still, it's also essential to have a historical method that supports my chances of success with a high degree of certainty.?

I start here because the initial objective must be significant enough that I'm willing to invest more time to ensure its achievement while also seeking ways to expedite the process. This approach helps manage the risk of failure and increases the chances of achieving the objective sooner.

First, I set the objective; then, I determine what needs to be true to achieve this outcome with the highest probability of success, considering both quantitative and qualitative factors.?

Quantitative analysis allows me to measure the things within my control that require discipline and consistency. Then, I consider the qualitative aspects, which often relate to my values and how I prefer to conduct myself. After facilitating over 6,000 meetings discussing finances, I frequently remind people of their financial plans and align them?with their personal and professional goals. Whether it's career flexibility, financial freedom, legacy wealth creation, or simply peace of mind, we must avoid distractions like the shiny object syndrome or seemingly easier paths. These might appear less risky at first, but are often deceptive.

Knowing that I needed to attend 6,000 meetings to achieve my firm's current level of success helps illustrate that our achievements are not accidental.?

I understand precisely how much time I can allocate to serve our members and how much time I can offer to new members at any given time. While not perfect, my team and I have continually improved our understanding of our capacity, resources, pricing, and experience needed to maximize the value delivered. Focusing on maximizing value for our members ensures that we also achieve our desired outcomes for our team members. Every team member receives a personal, professional, and financial plan to promote excellence to our members and within our team. They are more motivated to serve our members effectively if they achieve their goals.

Accepting more risk to achieve my desired outcomes is fine, but I always maintain my core plan, which provides a 100% probability of success, whether sooner or later than expected.?

When I reverse engineer the steps required to achieve my goals, it allows for a plan but also accommodates some risks I can manage, potentially speeding up the process. I value reverse engineering because it keeps me humble and accountable for my actions. Many fail to achieve excellence because they need a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and accountability to ensure they succeed.??

If you want to increase your probability of success, get clear about your goals, then ask yourself what daily, weekly, monthly, and annual behaviors you need to adopt to reach them.?

Finally, consider who is holding you accountable. We all need accountability partners, advisors, coaches, and leaders to keep us honest.

Warm Regards,

Matt

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